Siren Call: A Hogwarts Romance
by beththebookworm
Summary: Selenity, a 14yr old girl with a dark secret, gets thrown suddenly into Hogwarts in 4th year and reaches out to other students for help, gaining the friendship of the Golden Trio. Will they help her unravel her past? Will they stay with her when they do?
1. The Birthday Wish

Selenity, a fourteen year old witch in her first year at Howarts struggles to keep up with the other wizards and witches her age, for, despite this being her first year, she is mixed in with the other fourth years. Naturally, she turns to other students, in desperate need of help, and secures the friendship of Harry Potter, Ron Weasly, and Hermione Granger. Not to mention the loathing of one moody Potions Master. From whom does she require more help?

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Siren Call

Chapter One

Selenity stood in her room, surveying the mess: clothes were strewn across the floor, paper littered every inch of the ancient desk in the corner, her bed covers were flung half way across the room, and her three puppies, Tater Tot, Luna, and Rory were chewing up whatever they could get their paws on.

"I really should clean this up..." she mused. "Ah well." She shrugged and flopped down on her bed, careful not to disturb the mountainous pile of books that threatened to totter over the edge. Sighing deeply, she stared up at the posters of her latest favorite band, Secondhand Serenade. 'Fall For You' floated softly over to her from her iPod, almost lulling her to sleep...

"Sel! Dinner's almost ready! Your room better be clean!" Her mother's voice drifted up the stairs.

Selenity woke with a start. Jumping from her bed, she looked at the clock on her wall. Two hours had passed since her mother had given her that chore. Cursing softly, she yelled, "Uh, yeah... Sure!"

Poking her head out into the hallway, she made sure she was the only one on the floor. Sighing in relief, she ducked back in and locked her door. She then turned and looked at her room. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and raised her hand.

She pointed at the books on her bed and then swung her arm toward her bookcase under the window. Obediently, the books flew over and, one by one, stacked themselves neatly in a row. She did the same with the papers, which piled up nicely on the corner of her desk, sorted according to the information on them, and with the clothes, which sorted themselves from clean and dirty and flew to their respective places.

Finally, she turned her attention to the blanket. When she gestured at it, it soared over to the bed and began swiftly tucking itself in. Suddenly, she heard footsteps running up the stairs. Panicking, she dropped the blanket and there was a small crash.

_Knock knock._

Selenity's mother, Aurora, opened the door to see her daughter put the finishing touches on her bed. Her gaze swept around the room, seeing everything in perfect condition. She smiled. "Wonderful, Sel. Chicken casserole downstairs."

When she was sure her mother had gone, Selenity sighed in relief; she hadn't been caught.

Her mother knew, of course, of her daughter's abnormalities, but wasn't comfortable when she saw her using them. Selenity tried to keep them to herself ever since the incident that had involved their former neighbors.

Glancing around the room to make sure that no object remained floating, she nodded in satisfaction and shut the door behind her. As she trudged down the stairs, she inhaled the scent of cheesy sauce and baked chicken wafting up towards her.

Sitting down across from her mother, she dug in, barely pausing to make conversation. When the meal was finished, they both sat their in a companionable silence.

"So Sel," Aurora said, "your birthday is tomorrow! I can't believe it! What should we do?"

Selenity shrugged. She didn't really like big events on her birthday, or any other time, for that matter. Especially if that event involved other people.

"I can't believe it!" she repeated. "My little girl, almost 14! And it seems like it was only yesterday we were celebrating your first!" Aurora's eyes teared up and she drew a shaky breath.

Slightly amused, Selenity smiled at her mother. "Mom, we go through this every birthday. I'm still your little girl, and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." She stood up and gave her mother a kiss on the forehead, bidding her goodnight.

Oh how she would end up eating those words.

[The next morning]

Laying in her bed, Selenity awoke to the fattest of her puppies, Tater Tot, landing square on her stomach. Gasping for breath, she met the innocent gaze of the Dachshund in front of her.

"Good morning to you, too." She sighed. "Well, fourteen. Sure doesn't feel that different."

But in truth, she was lying to herself. In the pit of her stomach, she felt a knot of anticipation wiggling around, and she allowed a broad grin to spread across her face. Kissing Tater Tot on the nose, she jumped out of bed and threw on some jeans and a t-shirt before bounding downstairs. When she reached the kitchen, she saw her mother dashing through the kitchen and top speed.

Skipping up behind her, Selenity wrapped her arms around her and sang, "Good morning!"

Aurora smiled and replied, "Happy birthday!" She moved from where she was standing, revealing a round chocolate cake with fourteen burning candles.

Selenity looked at the clock: only seconds till 8:03, the time she had been born. It was a long standing tradition in their family that the birthday person make a wish at exactly the time of their birth.

"Five, four, three, two, one!"

Selenity blew out the candles with one breath.

Her wish?

'I wish I could meet more people like me.'

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This is my first story on here, so please tell me what ya think. ^^ More will be explained in the next chapter, which shall be up shortly. :D


	2. Albus Dumbledore Comes To Town

Chapter Two

"How do you feel?"

"I don't feel any different... I look any different?"

"You still look like an ss to me."

Selenity sat on the couch, absorbed in the movie as she sipped at a chocolate smoothie.

Her mother stood in the doorway, shaking her head with her hands on her hips. "I can't believe you, Sel. I give you the choice of going skating, swimming, eating out at your favorite restaurant, or inviting some friends over to celebrate. And you choose to do a movie marathon. By yourself. With all your old movies."

As a reply, she got a toothy grin followed by a weird series of choked giggles because Selenity had inhaled her smoothie while laughing.

Rolling her eyes, Aurora left the room, throwing, "Dinner'll be ready in a few minutes!" over her shoulder.

Still giggling, Selenity shut the tv off and ran up to her room to put her movie up. Tackling Rory, her Chihuahua. She started playfully annoying her. Seeing their friend in peril, Luna and Tater Tot pounced to the rescue, slobbering her all over Selenity. Shrieking softly to herself, Selenity didn't hear the knock at the door, nor the words exchanged between her mother and the newcomer. She did, however, hear her mother's voice calling her.

"Selenity! We have company!" Aurora's voice was slightly strained.

Leaving her dogs to play amongst themselves, she walked down the stairs and into the kitchen slowly. When she reached the door, she saw her mother standing there with an old man. He had long silvery hair and a silver beard, with electric blue eyes that twinkled merrily at her over half-moon spectacles.

"Ah, Miss Castle! Such a pleasure to meet you!" The old man stepped forward and clasped her hands in a friendly greeting. "My name is Albus Dumbledore."

"Um, hi," she answered uncertainly, glancing at her mother, who stood wringing her hands guiltily.

"Won't you please sit down, Mr. Dumbledore?" she asked, gesturing to the table.

He beamed at her. "Please, just call me Albus."

They all moved to the table, and he turned to face Selenity. "Now, Miss Castle, I am here to ask you whether you would be interested in joining our school."

Selenity stared. "Your school? But I already attend-"

"Ah, but I can assure you that the school I am speaking of is much different than the one you currently attend."

Aurora spoke up. "What kind of school, exactly, Mr. Dum- Albus?"

"Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," he said simply.

Selenity stared at the man with wide eyes. Glancing at her mom, she mouthed, 'Is he off his rocker?'

"No, dear Selenity. I'm just as sane as you are."

Aurora sighed. "Alvin always said someone would come for her eventually."

Selenity now turned her incredulous gaze to her mother. "What do you mean, come for me?"

"If I may, Mrs. Castle? Selenity, your father was a wizard, a very fine wizard who made many contributions to the magical society. His magical blood runs through your veins, which would make you a witch."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. This is a little much. Do you mean to tell me that I am a witch, as in the whole spells, cauldrons, and wart trip?"

He smiled. "The spells and cauldrons, yes. The warts, well, as long as you stay away from the Wartcap Powder, you shall remain wart-free."

Selenity snorted.

Albus sighed. "I thought you wouldn't be so easily persuaded." He reached into his coat and pulled out a long thin stick that looked like a wand. "What are you doing at the moment, Miss Castle?"

Confused she answered, "Um, I'm sitting down?"

He smiled and waved the stick. "Are you quite sure?"

"Well, yes. I mean-" She stopped short, looking down at the chair. Which was sitting about three feet below her as she hovered in the air. She looked back at Mr. Dumbledore, who was staring calmly back.

"You're doing this?" she asked, gesturing toward the chair. He nodded. "This is awesome!" she squealed.

He chuckled at her jubilance. With a flick of his wand, she was once again in the chair.

"Tell me more about Hogwarts!" Selenity exclaimed eagerly.

For the next hour, Albus Dumbledore explained the purpose of Hogwarts, what would be taught, and how students' lives were. When he finished, Selenity turned to her mother.

"Please, please, please can I go, Mom? It would be so cool!"

"Well... Are you sure she would be safe there?" Aurora asked plaintively.

"I can assure, madam, Hogwarts is absolutely the safest place for a young wizard to learn magic. She will be in no danger there."

She sighed. "I don't see why not."

Selenity screamed and jumped up to hug her mother. "Thank you thank you thank you!"

Smiling at her daughter, Aurora asked, "When will she start?"

"The term begins on the first of September. Most students arrive by way of the Hogwarts Express, but in Selenity's case, we will come up with an alternate route of transportation. She will stay at school the full year except for holidays, during which she is free to come home. Now, here is a list of things you will need for your year. You will be able to pick them up right before the beginning of school at Daigon Alley." He passed Selenity a list of the required items. "Even though you have not attended any magical course before, you shall be placed in fourth year with other students your age. I trust you will be able to find some friends who will be able to help you with your studies should you need it."

Suddenly, something in his pocket began shrieking loudly. Pulling out a watch on a gold chain, Dumbledore examined the time and stood up, stretching. "Terribly sorry, ladies, but it's time that I go. I will send an owl to you a few days before the first regarding how you will get to Hogwarts. Goodbye, Aurora, Selenity."

They all walked to the front door. As he stepped out onto the front step, Selenity stopped him.

"Mr. Dumbledore? You say that most students start at the age of eleven. Why haven't I started before now?"

"Your father had placed some very clever charms on you and your mother; they hid you from the Ministry, and somehow even fooled the Trace. With that kind of protection, you could have continued using your magic for several years more without being noticed."

"Well, why have they found me now?" she asked, confused.

"Ah, never underestimate the power of a birthday wish." With a smile and a wink, there was a loud CRACK! and Albus Dumbledore disappeared.

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Here's the second chappy! Hope ya liked it. Comment and tell me whatcha think of the story so far! ^^ And cookies to whoever can tell me what movie Selenity was watching at the beginning. :3


	3. An Unlikely Escort

Exactly one month had gone by before Aurora and Selenity heard back from Albus Dumbledore. An owl came for them late one night during dinner.

"Mom, could you please pass the mac 'n cheese?" Selenity inquired, eyeing the monstrosity on her plate that her mother claimed was meatloaf and, hearing Selenity's complaints, assured her that it was completely edible.

"Finish your meatloaf first, Sel. You never eat any meat!" Aurora replied, not taking her eyes off the newspaper.

"I never eat any meat you cook, you mean," she mumbled under her breath. Making sure her mother wasn't looking, she tapped the leg of her chair and, hearing the scratching of her dogs' feet on the hardwood floor, hummed discreetly as the so-called 'meatloaf' floated off her plate and onto the floor, where her dogs grabbed it up and ran off. Selenity wasn't sure whether they were actually eating it, and she thought she heard faint gagging sounds coming from the living room.

"All done, Mom! May I please have some macaroni now?"

Aurora eyed her daughter's plate suspiciously, but before she could reply, a streak of brown and white flew past her head and landed on the back of her chair after circling the table once. Once it had landed, they saw that it was a tawny colored owl. Hooting excitedly, it stuck it's right foot out, on which was tied a red envelope with a seal.

Reaching out with an only slightly shaky hand, Aurora took the envelope from the bird and read: "To Mrs. Castle, kitchen, 56 Platens DR." Glancing at her daughter with wide eyes, she tore open the envelope and began one of the three pages inside.

Dear Mrs. Castle,

I trust this owl finds you in good health. Regarding my last visit, I have found a suitable means of transportation for Miss Selenity. A professor from school is arranged to come pick your daughter up the following Monday. She shall be staying with a very dependable wizard family, the Weasleys, whom I trust explicitly. From their house, she may board the Hogwarts Express with the Weasley children. Also enclosed here is your acceptance letter and a list of supplies that Miss Selenity will need for her year. The money she will need to purchase everything will be provided when she arrives in Daigon Alley. Please note that while this is technically her first year, she is a Fourth Year, and therefore the rule about broomsticks shall be lifted for her benefit. Kinch, the owl who delivered this letter, has been ordered to stay with you until you write your response. She will then return to you, since I daresay you will want a way to keep in touch with your daughter.

Yours sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Aurora stared at her daughter. "Broomsticks?" she asked incredulously. Selenity just grinned and reached for the second letter.

"Hogwarts School

of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,

Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

("Supreme Mugwump? What the heck are they?" Selenity interjected.)

Dear Miss Castle,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

The last page held a list of requirements.

UNIFORM

Fourth-year students will require:

sets of plain work robes (black)

plain pointed hat (black) for day wear

pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)

winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)

5. Fourth-years are required to bring dress robes in the event of a ball or other special occasion.

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags and the uniforms are to be worn AT ALL TIMES.

The rest was just a set of class equipment.

Aurora shook her head in disbelief. "Broomsticks? Wands? Cauldrons?"

"I can't believe this!" Selenity squealed in excitement. "I'm going to learn to fly a broom, use a wand, and make potions! Oh!" She remembered. "Mom, you don't care about me staying with the..." she checked the letter for the name, "...Weasleys, do you?"

Aurora smiled and shook her head. "If Mr. Dumbledore trusts them, I see no reason why not."

Selenity squealed again and threw her arms around her mother's neck.

The spent the next half hour replying to the two letters, trying to make sure they understood everything.

When everything was settled, Selenity kissed her mother goodnight and ran upstairs.

As she settled in bed, she couldn't help but repeat over and over: "Only three days away!"

Those three days passed by extremely fast, and by Monday, both Castles were nervous wrecks.

The reality of what was going to happen seemed to finally settle in on them.

"I just can't believe I won't see you until Christmas!" Aurora blubbered.

Selenity tried to console her mother with "Oh, mom, I'll owl home every day, promise!" or "But mom, I'll only be gone a short time, you won't even have time to miss me!"

Selenity, almost as nervous as her mother, yet for an entirely different reason, glanced out the window every few seconds.

Soon it was one o'clock, and still there was no sign of anyone.

"Oh, what is taking so long?"

Suddenly, there was a loud thud outside, and a small scream from the kitchen.

"Mom?" Selenity called, running out to see what all the fuss was about. She found her by the back door, staring out the window with a mixed look of awe and horror. Peering over her mom's shoulder, she understood both emotions immediately.

Outside, a tall man with black hair that fell in curtains around his face was sitting on what appeared to be thin air, about six feet off the ground. He dismounted and, throwing a few words over his shoulder, walked toward the house.

"C'mon, Mom!" Selenity whispered, her excitement returning. "That must be the professor!"

Pulling her reluctant mother by her arm, she went to the door and opened it wide, finding herself looking into a pair of cold, obsidian colored eyes glaring at her down a long, crooked nose.

Slightly taken aback, Selenity stuttered out, "H-Hello. I'm Selenity-"

"Yes I know that, girl. Where are your things? I don't have time to waste!" he interrupted in a clipped tone.

Glancing back at her mom in surprise, she murmured, "Th-They're in my room. I'll go get them."

Racing upstairs, Selenity grabbed the rucksack she had painstakingly woven an internal expanding spell over that allowed it to hold way more than it showed, then glanced around her room for her puppies. Unable to find them, she shrugged. 'They must be off sulking somewhere.'

Sliding down the banister in her excitement to leave, she made it back to the back door with her rucksack and a huge smile.

"Bye Mom! I'll write as soon as I get settled in," she said, giving Aurora a hug.

"You'd better," she whispered fiercely.

Letting go, Selenity turned to the professor. "Ok, I'm ready!"

They walked back over to where he had first shown up. As they got nearer, she was shocked to hear steady breathing and the sound of munching. Looking for the sound, she saw with a start that blades of grass seemed to be severing themselves in half and disappearing. Wide-eyed, she glanced up at the black-haired man by her.

Without looking at her, he answered her unspoken question. "Thestrals. Invisible to anyone who hasn't witnessed death."

His tone was pointedly discouraging further conversation, but she couldn't help herself. "Can you see them, Professor...?" She trailed off uncertainly, still not knowing his name.

He glanced at her, a calculating look in his eyes. "Snape. Professor Snape. And I fail to see how that is any of your business. Now, are you going to get on any time today?"

Resisting the urge to gulp like a frightened child, Selenity regarded the animal that she couldn't see standing in front off her.

Scowling at her hesitation, Snape grabbed her around her waist and practically threw her up on the animal. She barely had time to squeal indignantly before he was up in front of her, grabbing hold of invisible reigns.

She crossed her arms and glared a hole in the back of his head. She could care less that he was one of her professors. He was an impatient old git.

Suddenly and without any warning, they took off. Shrieking as their surroundings melted into blurs of swirling colors, she temporarily forgot her irritation at Snape and threw her arms around his torso, burying her face in his black cloak. Feeling her stomach lurch threateningly, Selenity decided she didn't like thestrals in the least bit.

After what seemed like hours, but in reality had only been about 45 minutes, they landed. The impatient black haired man pried her arms from his waist and dismounted, waiting for her to do the same. Under the steely glare of the professor, Selenity hastily scrambled off and stood up, swaying slightly. She just barely refrained from dropping onto the ground and planting kisses on the paved road beneath her feet, for fear that the hook-nosed person next to her would think her a mental case. Speaking of paved road…

She gathered herself and took a look at her surroundings, taking in the bustling crowd of people walking around them, not giving either of them nor their sudden appearance a single glance. Snape ignored her fascinated look and grabbed her arm, dragging her into a decrepit old building with the sign The Leaky Cauldron hanging precariously over the front door.

Inside, Snape sent a curt nod at the wizened old man behind the bar and strode through to the back door, still dragging the poor girl behind him. Out the door, they found themselves in a small, walled-in courtyard. Selenity watched in wonder as, after he tapped a series of bricks, the wall slowly fell away to reveal a busy, crowded alley.

Men, women, and little children wearing long, billowing robes ran around, going in and out of the shops, talking animatedly to people they came across.

"Come on," Snape said, tugging on her arm still. "We don't have all day."

He led her up to a small ice cream shop and shoved her down into a chair by one of the outdoor tables.

"Stay here. Do. Not. Move. A woman will be here shortly for you." With a final sneer, he turned and disappeared from her view.


	4. An Eventful Day at Diagon Alley

**An Eventful Day in Daigon Alley**

After glaring at the spot Snape had last stood once more, Selenity sighed and looked around her. She was sitting at a small, white, round table with an umbrella situated in the middle. Glancing up at the building front, she saw a sign that read 'Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.' She looked at the door, glanced back toward the crowd, then shrugged. If he wanted her to stay, he should have stayed and watched her. Pushing herself up from her chair, she walked over and through the front door of the , it was pleasantly chilly, and an old man with graying hair stood behind the counter with a twinkling smile. After seeing the vast array of choices, she settled for an ice cream that would change flavors with every bite and turn her teeth different colors***. When she asked how much it was, he smiled and said, "Five Sickles and two Knuts."She blushed and stammered, "Uh, I don't h-have and wizard money."Mr. Fortescue smiled. "Quite alright, quite alright. I'm on my way to Gringotts later, so I can exchange it. Now lesse... That'll be 3 pounds."Smiling nervously, Selenity held up a five dollar bill."Ah, American money! Fascinating! Very well, then, $2.34. Yes, thank you very much. Enjoy and do come again!"Selenity nodded her thanks to the man and walked towards the door, scooping a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and rebelling in the taste of orange sherbet."Oh, and miss?" She glanced back, and he smiled somewhat mischievously. "When it said every flavor, it meant EVERY cringed as she got a mouthful of sweaty gym socks. "Duly noted," she said, leaving the shop with another bite. Quickly scooping several mouthfuls of ice cream into her mouth (butterscotch, chocolate, and pepperoni), a small part of her mind registered that it was a very creative idea for an ice cream flavor while a larger part yelled mentally at her stupidity in combining the , she spotted a harried-looking middle-aged woman with gingery hair looking around the tables Selenity had recently occupied. Swallowing her ice cream (blueberry) thoughtfully, she overheard the red-haired woman muttering to herself, "Honestly, Severus, leaving the child in the middle of Diagon Alley all by herself? Batty old Snape**. Poor child must be lost somewhere, completely beside herself. Poor Selenity…"At that last line, Selenity composed herself and walked up to the woman. "Um, excuse me?" she inquired woman jumped and spun around, clutching her heart. "What on Ear- Oh! Selenity! Thank heavens! So glad you're ok." She latched a hand onto Selenity's arm, a motherly gesture, and began steering her deeper into the crowds around them."Um, where are we going?" And who the heck are you? Selenity asked."Oh, dear, where are my manners? We're going to fetch your school supplies. And my name is Molly Weasley.""Oh. Well, I have my list here…""Nonsense. I've had five sons go through fourth year at Hogwarts, and one going into it this year. I've got the list memorized by heart. Although I suppose you'll be needing the more basic things, seeing as this is technically your first year… Ah, well. First stop, Gringotts!"The pair lapsed into comfortable conversation as they traipsed their way to the goblin bank. They talked about their families and swapped hilarious Once there, they went up to strange looking creature who introduced himself as Griphook."We'll be needing access to the Castle vault, Griphook," Mrs. Weasley said , even though he was considerably shorter than the red-haired witch, managed to peer imperiously down his nose at her. "Key?"Mrs. Weasley turned to Selenity, who had been staring around in wonder, with a questioning smile."K-key? But I haven't got a key!" she squeaked."No key, no acces-" The goblin had his eyes trained on Mrs. Weasley until the end of his sentence, where he swung his gaze around to include Selenity before stopping mid-word. His eyes became as big as saucers before he reached out and grabbed her hand. "Miss Castle! It is you! You look extraordinarily like… your father!" he finished weakly. Selenity sensed that he had been on the verge of saying something else but had refrained. "Come, your vault is this way.""But what about the key?" Mrs. Weasley asked looked at her disdainfully. "That is none of your concern," he uttered , whose hand was still in the goblin's, bristled and yanked back. "You have no reason to speak to her that way!" she half-shouted, effects were immediate. The goblin gave a half bow and apologized profusely, glancing up at Selenity almost . Weasley and Selenity exchanged bewildered glances but followed the goblin as he led them to Selenity's vault. It was far below ground, and the floor by the entrance, although completely dry, seemed to ripple and waver as though underwater. Griphook opened the door and all thoughts left Selenity's mind except for - the vault lay piles of silver, mounds of gold, and heaps of precious jewels. Selenity felt her jaw almost brush the ground she was in such shock. Everywhere she looked, immense wealth stared back at her. "Wh-What is all this?" she finally choked gave a gleeful smile as his response and nudged her toward the smallest pile in the room, which consisted of two envelopes, a small purse covered in scales, and a circular silver locket. Bewildered beyond measure, she picked up the items and, seeing that the bag, though no larger than a wallet, was actually able to hold more than met the eye, dropped the letters and locket into it, and began to fill it with money. Even after she loaded close to a fourth of one of the humongous piles of money into the small bag, she still could not feel any weight. Deciding that this would be more than enough to tide her over, she zipped the small purse up and turned back to the others. Right before the door closed behind them, Selenity noticed a puddle of water in the corner of the vault. It was about four feet in diameter and glittered in the torchlight."What's with the puddle?" she asked the gave her a look, said, "It is not my place to tell you, miss," and left it at they left the bank, Griphook gave Selenity a final nonplussed, Selenity shook her head and turned to Mrs. Weasley, who hadn't said a word since they'd entered the vault. "Well… that was unexpected."Mrs. Weasley gave her a grin and bustled her off to the shops. They stopped by Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions for her school robes and a few casual robes, Flourish and Blotts for her schoolbooks, Slug and Jigger's Apothecary for her potions materials, and Scribbulus Writing Instruments for her stationary and such. Finally, they only had two destinations left: either the Magical Menagerie or Eeylops Owl Emporium and Ollivander's Wand Shop."Oooh! Let's stop by the Menagerie! That looks promising!" Selenity exclaimed excitedly. After shopping nonstop with Mrs. Weasley, they had become fast friends and were getting on famously. Mrs. Weasley made an agreeing noise and they walked into the 's first impression of the shop was that it smelled like a gerbil's cage. No lie. Looking around, she saw the walls lined with cages that held animals of all sorts - poisonous orange snails; giant tortoises with jewels covering every inch of their shells; black, grey, and white rats; owls; ravens; cats of every color; and so many more animals that she couldn't cage in particular caught her eye: it held a midnight black owl that stared at her with intelligent silver eyes. It blinked, and became a falcon, keeping its startlingly silver eyes and dark feathers. She walked up to it and tentatively put her fingers up to the cage."Hey! Girl! HEY!" A woman rushed up and swatted her hand away from the bird. Shaking her head and staring at Selenity like she was nuts, the woman said, "Don't get too close to that one. I can't begin to tell you the number of people who have lost a finger to that dreadful bird.""What is it?" the teen asked."It's an Avian Metamorph*. It can morph into any bird it chooses, but will always possess black feathers with silver eyes. And a nasty temper, too!" The woman glared at the cage before turning to face Selenity completely with a smile. "So, what can I do for you?"Selenity grinned back. "I want that one!"After she completed her purchase, Molly and Selenity left the shop, leaving a very bewildered yet relieved shopkeeper behind. The lady had been thoroughly shocked when the bird had let the teen pet it, let alone hold it and nuzzle bird now perched up on Selenity's left shoulder, looking around regally."What will you name it, dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, smiling at the girl's elated expression."Callisthene (kal ISS then ee)," she said without hesitation. "It means beautiful strength," she added, seeing the red-heads confused look."Ah. It sure suits her. Let's go get your wand, then!"With that, she dragged the girl off to a dusty old shop. It seemed about ready to cave in on itself, and the windows were grimy and reflected the glaring light back at them."Well, in you go!" Mrs. Weasley said."What? You're not coming in?" Selenity asked, confused and slightly nervous of being in there by herself."Picking your wand is a very personal ordeal. It's best for you to be alone while you do it," she , Selenity entered the shop with her bird, peering into the dark shadows blindly. "Hello? Anybody ho- AH!" She shrieked as a man suddenly materialized from the floated through the shop as the man walked stepped toward her. "Ah, that never gets old. Anyway, I assume you're here for your wand?" Before she could reply, he answered his own question. "Well, of course you are, that's all we sell here!" He cackled at his joke as Selenity squirmed uncomfortably under his , he sobered up. "Well, then. Hold out your arm." He spent the next ten minutes measuring her wand arm, her non-wand arm, her torso, her legs, and the length of her ears from her nose. He stepped back when he finished. "Interesting… Here, try this one." At his words, a long, wooden box flew into his upturned palms. He pulled out a thin, tan wand and gave it to felt alien and strange in her hand."Hmmm. How about this one?"And so it continued. She went through seven wands, none of them seeming to want to stay in her hand."Curiouser and curiouser," Ollivander muttered. He disappeared to the back of the shop and came back minutes later with a long, black box. He blew on it, disturbing a thick layer of dust that had Selenity's eyes watering. Opening the box, he pulled out a glistening, midnight black wand that seemed to glimmer in the dim light. "12 inches, black cherry. Unicorn hairs braided with strands of unknown hair. Normally, I don't use material that I'm not familiar with, but the urge to craft this wand was too compelling." He handed her the wand, and the reaction was second the wood connected with her skin, Selenity felt a shock go through her as a jet of black sparks rained from the tip of the wand. She glanced at the man, hoping this was a good regarded her with a thoughtful gaze. "Interesting. Highly interesting… Well, that'll be 300 galleons."She paid and left the shop to find Mrs. Weasley waiting anxiously by the entrance."Good! You're all finished now! Let's get home, we've got a big dinner planned for tonight." And with that, Molly placed a hand on Selenity's shoulder and Selenity felt dizziness consume her before everything went black.*Avian Metamorph - It's just an animal I made up. They are extremely rare and get along with very few people. There are other types of Metamorphs (Canine, Feline, etc.) as well.**I know the adults are always "Respect the teachers! "It's Professor Snape!" and such, but that's for the kids benefit. ^^***I wasn't that sure about what kinds of confections they'd serve in the Wizarding world, so again I improvised. ^^ Hope you liked it, my friend thought it was funny (and slightly disgusting ^.^).

Ahhhh... Six pages on Microsoft Word. Hope it's long enough and that you enjoyed! Sorry if it's slightly slow-paced, it'll pick up! ^^

I tried to make the currency as accurate as possible. I looked up how many pounds a Galleon was, same with Sickles and Knuts, and then converted that to American money, since that's all she had with her at the moment. Hope I got it right… ^^'She meets the Golden Trio in the next chappy!And thanks so much for the comments and for subscribing. Means a lot! *glomp*


	5. The Burrow

Ok, here's the fifth chapter. Thanks tons to those who reviewed! And I had a surprising amount of people favorite my story and put it on their alert list. I even had a couple of favorite author alerts. THANK YOU! :DDDDD

Esmerana 'Esme' Call- he's here in this chapter, and there'll be more of him soon. :3

Potterholic78- Thanks! I'm glad ya liked it! It was my favorite chapter so far. ^^ And I agree, the amount of money for the wand was too much. It was pretty much the only thing I didn't try to be precise on. I'm gonna go back and change it to... oh, 40 galleons? That makes it $316.00, and I think it's a good price. Whatcha think? :3 (and hers is... rarer, I guess is the word, so it might be more expensive than regular wands.)

Anyways, on to the story! :D

*Selenity's P.O.V*

I stumbled on my feet as my surroundings came into focus. I was standing in the middle of a large living room. The furniture looked worn and overstuffed, but turned out to be exceedingly comfortable when I collapsed on a nearby couch.

"There, there, dear. The first time apparating always takes it out of you. Why, the first time I tried, I was out for three hours!"

I looked up and saw Mrs. Weasley smiling kindly down at me. I tried to smile back, but it came out as a weak grimace.

Chuckling, she gestured for me to follow and walked into the kitchen. I heard a few voices, a vague shout, then dead silence as Mrs. Weasley asked, "Tell me what?" in a calmly sinister voice.

I peeked around her and saw five redheads and a raven-black haired boy shuffling nervously under her gaze. No one noticed me as they were being scolded for whatever they had done, and I took a chance to study them.

Mrs. Weasley had told me enough of her family for me to be able to tell them apart. The youngest redheaded boy was glancing back and forth between his mother and twin brothers, trying in vain to hide a large grin. He was tall and gangly, but didn't appear to be any older than I. Sifting through the conversations with Mrs. Weasley at Diagon Alley, I deemed him Ron and moved onto the twins.

Fred and George were trying desperately to get out of trouble; apparently, they had let some kind of candy get into the hands of a Muggle (whatever that was), and the outcome had not been pretty. I bit back a giggle at the sight of the identical expressions of nervousness and guilt on their identical faces.

Mr. Weasley, a tall, thin, balding man, stood there nervously, wringing his hands as his eyes darted everywhere but his wife's face.

I noticed the other two men sitting at the table briefly: one wore his long hair pulled back in a ponytail, an earring with a fang dangling from it, and was dressed in clothes that would have best suited someone attending a rock concert. I had a feeling that if I tried to talk to him, I would end up blushing and stammering like crazy. Actually, that would probably have happened with the other man as well. He was somewhat intimidating, despite the good-natured grin he wore as he watched the twins try to defend themselves. He was short and stocky, with tan skin that, on closer inspection, was revealed to be multiple freckles.

But the one who caught my attention was the raven haired boy who observed with a would-be innocent air save the grin threatening to split his face. Black hair stood up at odd angles on his head, looking as though he had just gotten out of a car riding with the window down at 70 MPH. His strikingly vivid emerald green eyes twinkled in amusement and happiness, and he looked about the room with undeniable love for its occupants.

Suddenly, Mr. Weasley coughed slightly. "So Molly, is that Selenity there behind you?"

Everyone turned to look at me, looks of relief crossing most faces briefly. Mine heated up and I looked down at the floor.

Mrs. Weasley paused, momentarily forgetting the reason for her tirade as she beamed at me. "Yes, she is. We just got back from Diagon Alley with all her school things. We bought her a new wand, robes, broom, everything!"

George and Fred, taking advantage of their mother's distraction, loped up to me and stood on either side of me, throwing their arms around my shoulders.

"I'm Fred," one said. "The less handsome one over there is George."

"We," the other one intoned, "are the tour guides for new students at Hogwarts, and would be happy to show you around anytime." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Might I suggest a quick trip-" began Fred

"-up to our room?" finished George.

They both winked roguishly, and my face flamed more until their mother pried them off.

"Now that you've met Gred and Forge, I suppose I can introduce myself. I'm Arthur Weasley," the tall man with the least amount of hair said with a kind smile. "These are some of my sons, Ron, Charlie, Bill, and, of course, the twins."

All the redheads nodded and smiled. The black haired boy stepped up. "Hi. My name's Harry. Harry Potter."

Everyone in the kitchen seemed to hold their breath, looking at me pensively. Shrugging it off, I smiled back at the James Bond reference and replied, "Selenity Castle. It's nice to meet you."

There was a collective sigh of relief, and they began shuffling around the kitchen, voices overlapping noisily. I found myself jostled out the door and back in the living room. Laughing, I turned and nearly ran into two other girls.

"Oh, sorry! Hey! You must be Selenity! I'm Hermione Granger, I'll be in your year." The bushy haired, somewhat buck-toothed girl in front of me stuck her hand out with a large smile.

Grinning, I shook her hand and nodded. I glanced at the other girl, a redhead of about thirteen. She had a smattering of light freckles across her nose, and her blue eyes crinkled as she smiled.

"I'm Ginny."

"So what's going on in there?"

I shrugged, completely lost. "Mrs. Weasley's getting onto the twins for something to do with a wizard weeze, and everybody else is kinda stuck."

Hermione frowned slightly and said, "Oh dear..." before stepping into the kitchen. "Hey Ron, Harry! Dontcha think you should show Harry where his room is, Ron?"

"He knows where he's sleeping," came the reply, "in my room, same as last-"

"We can all go."

"Oh, yeah, we'll come too!" another voice said.

"You two stay right there!" snarled Mrs. Weasley.

Hermione stumbled out of the kitchen with Ron and Harry in tow. They made their way to the stairs, and Hermione turned back, saying, "You guys coming?"

As we walked up the stairs, Percy stuck his head out and complained at us before Ron shut him up. Up in Ron's room, a zooming ball of brown descended upon us, trilling excessively.

"Pig, would you- Stop flyi- SHUT UP, PIG!" Ron yelled, obviously annoyed at the thing. It slowed down and came to a stop on Ron's shoulder. 'Pig' turned out to be a tiny brown owl, small enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

"Fred and George are in here with us, Harry, 'cause Charlie and Bill have their room."

"Er-why are you calling that thing Pig?" Harry asked, bemused.

"Because he's being stupid," Ginny replied with a glare directed at her brother. "His proper name is Pigwidgeon."

Ron snorted. "And that's not a stupid name at all." He turned back to Harry. "Ginny named him, reckoned it was sweet. Now he won't come to anything else, so I shortened it to Pig."

He glowered at the thing, but his fondness for the hyperactive animal showed through anyway.

"What about your familiar?"

It took me a second to realize the question was directed at me. "My what? Oh! This is Callisthene; she's an Avian Metamorph." I gestured to the all-but-forgotten black bird still perched comfortably on my shoulder.

Hermione gasped and stared at the bird in awe. "I've read about those! They're extremely rare and rarely bond with witches or wizards. Oh, I'm so jealous!" she remarked playfully, reaching a tentative hand toward the bird. Callisthene just looked at her blankly before preening her feathers.

I shrugged apologetically at her. "Sorry, she's a bit standoffish."

"Um, what does it do?" Ron asked.

"Honestly, Ron! Don't you ever read anything?"

Ron snorted. "Why should I, when I have you to tell me all about it?"

Speaking quickly to save Ron from his unwitting blunder, I explained, "Well, the lady at the shop told me that she could turn into any type of bird. I suspect there are limits to what she can morph into, but the lady didn't go into great detail." I gazed thoughtfully at the bird, who stared back at me with intense silver eyes before blinking and becoming the black-feathered version of Pigwidgeon.

Ginny and Hermione gasped and squealed, crowding in to touch her. Callisthene hooted indignantly before flitting off, landing precariously on Pigwidgeon's cage.

I giggled silently and turned back to face the others. Ron was looking at me with a thoughtful expression. Before I could ask him about it, he blurted out, "You talk funny."

My eyes widened slightly and a startled laugh slipped out. Ginny rolled her eyes at her brother and Hermione elbowed him in the rib, chiding his tactlessness. Pretty soon, the three were off on another planet: the two girls surrounding him and pointing out his every flaw, poor Ron stuck in the middle and looking around beseechingly for help.

Chuckling, I glanced at Harry, who had drifted close to me at some point in the argument.

"Are they always like this?" I gestured vaguely to the trio.

He grinned. "Nah, Ron's usually less tactful."

We shared a laugh and started chatting.

"So where are you from? As Ron so delicately pointed out, you lack the defining British accent of an Englander," Harry inquired.

I smiled. "I live near the very uttermost outskirts of New York, in the wonderful U.S.A. We live basically in the middle of nowhere, in a town with a population of about 2,500."

"Ahh, that explains the accent," he replied, grinning.

"Excuse me," I said, trying to sound affronted. "You're the ones with the weird British accents. I feel all left out now..." I whined, mostly joking.

And it was true. I hadn't really noticed it too much earlier today, because I had been so excited and nervous. Now, just talking to Harry, I noticed how he lilted his words and pronounced everything in a way that sounded utterly sophisticated compared to my accent.

Still grinning, he reached over and patted my hand playfully. "Eh, give it a year or two, and you'll sound just like Ron here."

I laughed and glanced back over at the redheaded boy, who had finally managed to extract himself from the duo of naggers.

"So," Ron said, smoothing his hair and wiping his forehead slightly, "have you heard from Si-" He stopped, catching the look Hermione was giving him.

Curious, I glanced from Ron to Harry, then shrugged it off as it was none of my business anyway. However, Ginny seemed about to question them, so Hermione stepped up.

"Don't you think your mother could use some help, Ron? I mean, it is an awfully large crowd," Hermione asked him, shooting him a piercing glare.

"Um, yeah, right!"

We made our way down to the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was banging around the kitchen, looking very bad-tempered indeed.

"We're eating in the garden," she said when she saw us. "There's just not room for twelve people in here. Could you take the plates outside, girls? Charlie and Bill are setting up the tables." She gestured to the precariously stacked pile of well-used, mismatched plates, and Ginny, Hermione, and I grabbed them before slipping out the back door.

Once outside, we all breathed a sigh of relief, then giggled at each other. Before I could take another step, a large orange streak ran past, chasing what looked like a muddy potato that had decided to grow legs instead of eyes.

Hermione laughed at my befuddled expression. "The orange thing is Crookshanks, my cat/kneazle. It was chasing a garden gnome, the pesky little creatures."

She opened her mouth to say more, but we had rounded the hedge that obstructed the view from the kitchen to the backyard, where a series of crashes was currently coming from.

Bill and Charlie, both with wands in their hands, each had a table floating high above them, and they were crashing them against each others, trying to knock them out of the air.

I smiled broadly at the sight. Setting up tables, indeed. Perhaps a little more 'up' than Mrs. Weasley had in mind. It was nice seeing someone else exhibit the same powers that I had so openly, without worry that they would be called freaks, abominations.

Laughing as Charlie's table thumped into Bill's with a creaky groan, I joined Ginny and the twins, cheering them on. My money was on Bill.

I heard Ron and Harry join us seconds before Bill slammed his table into Charlie's, knocking one of it's legs off.

There was a noise above and behind us. We a turned and saw Percy's head sticking out a window on the second floor.

"Will you keep it down?" he bellowed.

"Sorry, Perce!" Bill called with a mischievous smile, looking none too sorry. "How're the cauldron bottoms coming?"

"Badly!" And with that, he slammed the window shut again.

Ginny and I burst out laughing. After everything had settled down (and the tables put back together), Mrs. Weasley brought out the food and everyone gathered round.

I sat next to Ron, Harry, and Hermione towards the end of the table(s?). Everyone seemed to be engrossed in their conversations, and I sat, picking at my food. The three beside me were engaged in some sort of whispered conversation, Percy and Mr. Weasley were talking about ministry business, Mrs. Weasley was trying to get Bill to let her cut his hair, and Fred, George, and Charlie were talking about the World Cup. I heard snatches of conversations from each, all of it thoroughly confusing me. One word, however, caught my attention.

I nudged the raven haired boy next to me. "Hey Harry, what's quidditch?"

Harry jumped in surprise, and Ron snorted into his pudding. Hermione threw me a baleful look, which I understood the reason for as Harry and Ron launched into a lengthy explanation of the sport.

By the time supper ended, I felt like my brain would explode if I absorbed any more information. At least I felt confident that I could follow the game tomorrow, which I had just learned we were attending.

I almost jumped for joy when Mrs. Weasley suggested we go in. Hastily, I said, "Mrs. Weasley, let me help you take the stuff inside."

She laughed, not unkindly. "It's okay, dear. It's easier to use magic to do it."

"I know!" I grinned. Gesturing toward the now empty dishes on the table, I concentrated and soon had the entire contents of the table hovering in the air. I smiled and did a little victory dance in my head before I realized that it had gotten really quiet...

I turned back around, and saw all the Weasleys, along with Harry and Hermione, staring at me with open mouths.

"What?"

After what seemed like ages, the people-turned-statues asked a question simultaneously: "You can do wandless magic?" At the word magic, their faces all convulsed in fright and they leapt at the plates, trying to pull them from the air. Seeing this, I let them go and looked around, bewildered as everyone began talking in hushed, worried tones.

"Um, guys? What's wrong?"

Nothing.

"Hellooo? Question here!"

Zip.

"Guys!"

They didn't so much as pause in their conversation.

Suddenly, Callisthene (who had followed me outside and had been chasing Crookshanks chasing garden gnomes) let out a shrill cry that had everyone staring at her.

"Uh, yeah, hi. What's going on?" I asked, slightly nervous under everyone's gaze.

Mr. Weasley stepped up to me, putting his hand the shoulder not occupied by a large, annoyed bird. "Selenity, you can't do magic like that. There's an age restriction that says you have to be of age, seventeen years old, to do magic. All minors have a Trace on them that alerts the ministry of Underage Magic."

I was so lost. "But I don't have a Trace on me."

"All minors have one, dear," Mrs. Weasley said.

"No, I mean my dad did something when I was born that fooled the Trace and hid me from the Wizarding world. I've been doing this kind of stuff," here I gestured at the now motionless plates, "all my life, and no one ever got onto me." Well, except those neighbors... I added mentally.

Mr. Weasley frowned, not at me but to himself. "Well, I'll owl Dumbledore about it tonight. Until we get his response, please don't do any magic. I don't want you to get expelled from Hogwarts before you've even begun your term!" He clapped my back and laughed a little.

I smiled and agreed, and everyone began filing in, each person carrying a dish or tablecloth in their arms, apparently forgetting the whole 'it's easier to carry in with magic' bit.

..ooOOoo..

Later, I was up in Ginny's room with her and Hermione. We were talking about clothes, oddly enough.

"Oh! You have to see this shirt, it's my favorite!" I exclaimed, grabbing my backpack. I stuck my arm in up to my shoulder and started rummaging around for my favorite tee. "Aha!" I said, triumphantly pulling it out. I held it up and threw it to Ginny.

"It's cute! ...But why is it covered in hair?" She shook it to punctuate her words, and a cloud of fur drifted lazily to the floor.

I recognized it instantly. "Luna! Grrr... She's one of my dogs. She probably got all over it when I was packing stuff. Although I could have sworn I packed it first to avoid that exact thing..."

Suddenly, my bag began moving. Squealing, we forgot the shirt and jumped to Ginny's bed. After a few shakes, the bag fell over and I saw a pair of glittering eyes peering at me through the darkness.

"Wait a minute... Luna?" I laughed as Luna poked her white head out, followed closely by two black and brown streaks. "Tater Tot, Rory!"

The dogs tackled us, sniffing and whimpering and just going crazy. After I explained to Ginny and Hermione about them (they must have snuck in while I was waiting on Snape to arrive), they each warmed up to Tater Tot and Rory respectively.

Soon, we were all dozing off on the beds. I dove back in my bag for my iPod, thinking that it couldn't get better than this. Then I came across...

"Noooooo!"

Ginny and Hermione shot up, fear plastered on their faces. "What? What happened?"

"They ate all my beef jerky!"

..ooOOoo..

Ah... That so happened with my dog before. Erm, not the whole 'hidden in my expanded backpack' bit, but she ate all my jerky. T^T lol, I hope you liked it. Sorry if it was kinda slow, and too much by the book. The next chapter, the trio and Selenity will be at Hogwarts, meeting new teachers (all) and getting sorted (Selenity). ^^ Review and tell me whatcha think! :333


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